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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
Buddhism, which we see today, seems to have practically nothing in common with what the Master is supposed to have originally taught. In the second century after Buddha not less than eighteen schools of Buddhistic doctrines can be traced. We shall therefore confine our attention only to leading basic principles of early Buddhism. Sufferings of Life
The starting point of Buddhist philosophy is the suffering in life. In fact Buddha's spiritual journey started, when he saw that human life is full of suffering at every stage. He, as a prince, was rolling in luxury and was guardedly kept away from experiencing the miseries of buman sufferings. But when once he was out on the roads of his town 'Kapilavastu' he saw an old man bowed down by age, a sick man scorched by fever, and a corpse carried and followed by mourning relatives, a serious conflict started in his mind which awakened his consciousness. As he found that there was suffering at every stage of life and if that was so, there must be some way out of it. Then he also saw an ascetic, a medicant, who had renounced the world, and who appeared to have attained an equanimity which was rarely to be found amongst those, who engrossed in the sensual objects of life. There he found a possible answer to the inner turmoil which was going within. Realizing the emptiness of things of senses, he renounced the world, stealthily leaving his sleeping wife and little child in bed. Thus the sight of human suffering was the starting point of his spiritual explorations and the same became the starting point of his philosophical expositions. Four Arya-Satyas
He came to the conclusion that there are four basic truths of life. They are —
(1) There is suffering -- 'Duḥkha'. (2) Every suffering has a cause — 'Duḥkha-Samudaya'.
(3) It is possible to overcome this suffering - 'DuhkhaNirodha”.
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